


how many soap bars does mary need?

by watchtheleaves



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: #RACE: fuck the system, (again), Autistic Albert DaSilva, Kid Fic, M/M, Projecting, Race has ADHD, albert does Not, albert knows it, fourth grade sucks, it’s three am idek, mike and ike are the best, non binary albert dasilva, race loves math, romeo has a cat, smalls’ real name is olivia, teachers suck, uhh what else
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:34:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23906236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watchtheleaves/pseuds/watchtheleaves
Summary: math is hard. being a fourth grader is hard.
Relationships: Albert DaSilva/Racetrack Higgins
Comments: 7
Kudos: 29





	how many soap bars does mary need?

**Author's Note:**

> hi. i have no idea what this is. i’m 100% projecting onto both albert and race in this one and it’s kind of really sweet and i wrote it in like an hour so here it is.
> 
> all fourth grade teachers are bastards.

All in all, fourth grade wasn’t Albert’s forte. They were too skinny, their hair was too red, they had to be dropped off by one of their brothers instead of a parent, they had too many freckles, they took longer to get things done than the rest of the kids, and their Dora the Explorer backpack was starting to get just too childish for everyone else’s liking.

It wasn’t great. They knew it very well.

Albert liked lunchtime, mostly because Paulo made the best jelly sandwiches. Also because that’s when they were allowed to sit wherever they wanted, and Albert really liked talking to Mike and Ike. They were fun to play with, and they didn’t pick on Albert’s hair just like Albert didn’t pick on the fact that they looked pretty much exactly the same.

They told them apart easily, unlike the other kids. Mike was louder, always joking, always jumping, always smiling. He liked to tap his leg just like Albert whenever he was bored. Ike was more kept to himself, even shy in some situations, and Albert liked that. Whenever Ike felt like talking, he said the most amazing things.

Ike always wore stripes. Mike didn’t. Easy.

Other than during lunchtime, the kids were tasked to study and play in groups the teacher assigned. Albert did  _ not _ like that part.

Their table for that month was full of kids they didn’t know, and they all already knew each other. Albert didn’t feel as comfortable as they did during lunch. They knew everyone’s names, but did anyone know Albert’s?

“And then,” a blonde kid who Albert remembered to be called Antonio continued with his storytelling, eyebrows so far up his forehead he looked starstruck. “The dinosaur turned into butter!”

Dinosaurs don’t turn into butter. Even Albert knew that.

“How did it turn into butter?” A girl with brown hair that fell on her face (Olivia, but no one called her that) asked, intrigued but disbelieving.

Antonio shrugged. “It melted.”

“That’s awesome,” Jojo half-whispered. Albert knew his name wasn’t actually Jojo, he had just introduced himself as such.

Albert hated math. They had peeked at their brothers’ homework once or twice, and it seemed far more complicated. It was definitely not getting any better.

Four worksheets landed before their eyes and they blinked. They had names on them and everyone quickly dug in to grab theirs.

They were not doing well with multiplication. At  _all_ .

Antonio, next to them, looked fascinated. Albert could tell by the way his pupils dilated slightly and how he stuck his tongue out as he leaned over the paper, scribbling.

Olivia looked annoyed, but was working anyway. Jojo was, as always, smiling.

Albert wasn’t working. They stared at the paper, glared so intently it could’ve caught fire. The numbers made no sense, not for the hypothetical situation they needed to use them for. If Mary wanted soap so bad, why didn’t she just go and get some?

They leaned back on the chair and looked up with their head tilted backwards. They were pouting without even realizing, staring at the ceiling instead of the table. They started tapping their foot.

“What’s wrong, Albert?” Miss Yanina called.

Albert didn’t reply.

Why was math so hard? It was supposed to make things easier, eventually. If Albert ever needed soap to cover their entire family, they wouldn’t stop to count. Their fingers would be more than enough; one, two, three bars. What was Mary’s deal with soap, then?

“Albert?”

Miss Yanina walked up to them. Besides them, Antonio looked up from his worksheet for the first time in fifteen full minutes.

“Albert DaSilva,” the teacher called. Their head snapped back down. Miss Yanina looked mad — that was the easiest expression, because people got mad at them quite often. “Can you tell me what’s so interesting about that ceiling that you like it more than your work?”

Albert shrugged.  _ The work was boring, that’s why, Miss Yanina _ .

“I don’t know how to do it,” they said, averting their gaze.

Miss Yanina didn’t believe them, which was upsetting. “Everyone in your table could do it just fine. Couldn’t you, Olivia?”

Olivia nodded, because she was supposed to.

“Jojo?”

Jojo nodded as well. He looked confused.

“Antonio?”

The boy looked between the teacher and Albert for two long seconds, fidgeting with his pen in silence.

“If Albert couldn’t do it, I can explain it to them.”

Albert didn’t know Antonio knew their name.

Miss Yanina shook her head. “If Albert paid more attention in class, they would know how to do it by themselves.”

“But they don’t know,” Antonio said. “I can just explain.”

“You don’t have to defend them, Antonio. Were you or were you not able to do your work?”

Antonio’s eyebrows furrowed. “Albert pays attention to class, I’ve seen them. They just didn’t get it. I can show them.”

Miss Yanina was upset. Albert had caused that, somehow.

“That’s enough, Antonio. You and Albert are going to change your cards to red, and I’m gonna speak with both your parents after class.”

As Albert was about to mention that they didn’t  _ have _ parents, Antonio stood up. “That’s not fair, they didn’t do anything!”

He stopped fidgeting but didn’t let go of the pen. One of his hands fell to his side. He looked upset as well.

“Antonio, you can’t talk back to me like that,” Miss Yanina said. It sounded friendly, but Albert was just starting to learn about passive-aggressiveness. “Your card. Now.”

Albert watched as Antonio’s anger dissipated and turned into guilt. He walked slowly to the card board and replaced his green card with a red one. Albert stood up a moment later to do the same.

“I’m sorry, Albert,” Antonio said, almost whispered.

“Why are you sorry?” They frowned. “How do you know my name?”

Antonio looked at them and smiled almost easily. Their mood went back up naturally. 

“Of course I know your name, Albert. Your hair is so cool, and you always sit with Mike and Ike and they’re really cool too. Mike and I are friends, did you know?” Albert didn’t know that, actually. “And Ike, well, I think he likes me. You ever talked to Romeo? He’s friends with Jojo, and Elmer, and Mike, and me, and he’s  _ so _ cool. He just got a kitten and he’s gonna name it Lulu, I think.”

Albert blinked, taking in the information. Antonio’s face lit up as his speech got faster.

Miss Yanina shushed them from afar. Antonio snapped back into reality and his shoulders slumped a little.

“I’m sorry you had to change your card. I know you were paying attention. You always do, you just don’t know much math, right? But you were so good when we did the Animal Day stuff. You like animals? I love animals, but I don’t know as much as you do. Maybe I can teach you math if you talk to me about animals!”

There was a moment of silence where Albert was supposed to squeeze their response. Antonio was smiling so big his face looked broken.

“I’d like that,” they nodded. Antonio pumped his fist.

“Coolio,” he said. “Okay. So, you should totally come to my house one day after school. Would that be okay? I can bake brownies, or cookies. Can you bake?”

“No,” Albert said. “But I like brownies.”

“Then, brownies it is,” Antonio smiled. “We’re gonna have so much fun. I promise, once you get this stuff — you’ll get it, you’re smart, I know that — Miss Yanina will change your card back.”

Albert looked at him. “Don’t you care about your card?”

Antonio glanced at the board, then back at Albert. He shrugged, “I was defending you, I’d do it again. That’s what friends are for, right?”

His eyes were blue and shiny. He had a dimple in his left cheek and a small, round birthmark right below his hairline. Sun freckles covered his face, even though it was roughly April.

He looked genuine, exhilarated. Those emotions were the rarest, Albert barely ever saw them.

They smiled. “Right. That’s what friends are for.”

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on twitter as @NEWSIESLIVE and tumblr as @whizzcrwins! you can also leave a comment if you want and then you’ll immediately become my best friend.
> 
> stay inside! be safe!


End file.
